Inipi

The inípi, or iníkaǧapi, ceremony (Lakota: i-, in regard to, + ni, life, + kaǧa, they make, -pi, makes the term plural or a noun, 'they revitalize themselves', in fast speech, inípi[1]), a type of sweat lodge, is a purification ceremony of the Lakota people.

Those who have inherited and maintained these traditions have issued statements about the standards to be observed in the inípi.

[2][3] In the March 2003 meeting it was agreed among the spiritual leaders and Bundle Keepers of the Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations that: I-ni-pi (Purification Ceremony): Those that run this sacred rite should be able to communicate with Tun-ca-s'i-la (our Sacred Grandfathers) in their Native Plains tongue.

They should also have earned this rite by completing Han-ble-c'i-ya and the four days and four years of the Wi-wanyang wa-c'i-pi.

[3] One concern about outsiders trying to perform these ceremonies is not only does it go against the express wishes of the traditional healers who have inherited these ceremonies, but also that those who do not know how to do them properly have in some cases caused dehydration and heat stroke, resulting in injury and even deaths.